62 The Diamond 



possibly to a certain extent ruby, 1 remain, while emerald must be 

 discarded. 2 



In my opinion, the diamond should be added to the series. The 

 Chinese, at least in modern times, use the epithet ye kuang ("brilliant 

 at night") as a synonyme of the diamond. 8 This notion apparently 

 goes back to an ancient tradition; for the Nan Yiie chi (" Description 

 of Southern China") 4 relates that the kingdom of Po-lo-ki ^^JIlIL 



1 The pilgrim Huan Tsang (Ta T'ang si yii ki, Ch. n, p. 6; ed. of Shou shan ko 

 ts'ung shu) narrates that beside the king's palace was the Buddha's-Tooth Shrine, 

 brightly decorated with jewels. From its roof rose a signal-post, on the top of 

 which was a large ruby (padmardga), which shed a brilliant light, and could be seen 

 shining like a bright star day and night for a great distance (compare Watters, 

 On Yuan Chwang's Travels, Vol. II, p. 235; Beal, Buddhist Records, Vol. II, 

 p. 248; the translation of Julien, Memoires sur les contrees occidentales, Vol. II, 

 p. 32 — "recouvert d'un enduit brillant comme le diamant" — is incorrect, and 

 the whole rendering of the passage is not exact). In view of what is set forth below 

 regarding phosphorescence, it should be remarked right here that any natural phe- 

 nomenon proceeding from the stone cannot come into question in this case. Moon 

 and star light or artificial illumination of the building must be held responsible for 

 the ruby being visible at night. Thus the causes leading to the conception of stones 

 shining in darkness evidently are different. Also in the case of Lucian's lychnis 

 in the temple of Hierapolis, I am not inclined to believe in a natural phenomenon, but 

 rather in a miracle produced by priestly artifice, which supplied the source of light from 

 a hidden corner, and hypnotized the multitude into the belief that it emanated from 

 the stone. With reference to the above passage of Huan Tsang, it should be added 

 that Cosmas Indicopleustes (Christian Topography, translated by McCrindle, p. 

 365) mentions a gem in the possession of the King of Ceylon (Taprobane), "as large 

 as a great pine-cone, fiery red, and when seen flashing from a distance, especially if the 

 sun's rays are playing around it, being a matchless sight ;"but he does not tell of its 

 shining at night. Friar Odoric of Pordenone of the fourteenth century ascribes a 

 similar gem to the King of the Nicobars (Yule, Cathay, new ed., Vol. II, p. 169) : "He 

 carrieth also in his hand a certain precious stone called a ruby, a good span in length 

 and breadth, so that when he hath this stone in his hand it shows like a flame of fire. 

 And this, it is said, is the most noble and valuable gem that existeth at this day in 

 the world, and the great emperor of the Tartars of Cathay hath never been able to 

 get it into his possession either by force or by money or by any device whatever." 



* Beckmann (Beitrage zur Geschichte der Erfindungen, Vol. Ill, p. 553) tenta- 

 tively included among the luminous stones of the ancients also fluor-spar; but, as 

 admitted by himself, the phosphorescent property of this mineral was not recognized 

 before the seventeenth century. Moreover, whatever may have been said to the 

 contrary (Blumner, Technologie, Vol. Ill, p. 276; and Lenz, /. c, p. 23), it is ex- 

 tremely doubtful to me whether the ancients were acquainted with fluor-spar. This 

 supposition is not well founded on matter-of-fact evidence, but merely inferred from 

 certain properties of the mineral which became known in our own time, and which 

 were subsequently read into certain accounts of the ancients. — Other stones to which 

 the property of nocturnal luminosity is ascribed are purely fabulous, as, for instance, 

 the "stone attracting other stones," described by Philostratus as sparkling at night 

 like fire (F. de Mely, Lapidaires grecs, pp. 27-28). 



' J. Doolittle, Vocabulary and Handbook of the Chinese Language, Vol. I, p. 132. 



4 Written by Shfin Huai-yuan of the fifth century (Bretschneider, Bot. Sin., 

 pt. I, No. 559). The text is cited in T'ai p'ing yii Ian, Ch. 813, p. 10. 



